Red Sox Offense Lets Peavy Down in Solid Start

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Jeff Pini has been a sports correspondent for Boston.com since 2013. A graduate of Roger Williams University, Jeff covers everything from the Red Sox and Bruins to B.A.A. running events and high school sports.

Jake Peavy battled hard in what may have been his Red Sox Swan Song, going 7+ innings and allowing three runs with a season-high nine strikeouts. Bob Levey/Getty Images

If Saturday was indeed Jake Peavy’s final start in a Red Sox uniform, it was one to be remembered, regardless of the final result.

The Sox starter went 7+ innings, allowing three runs on six hits with one walk and a season-high nine strikeouts, but the offense could only scratch out two runs in a 3-2 loss to the Astros.

Peavy started his outing by getting Jose Altuve to pop out to third, then struck out Jason Castro and George Springer for a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the first inning.

He struck out Jon Singleton and Chris Carter to begin the bottom of the second to make it four in a row retired by way of the K before Matt Dominguez singled to right. Robbi Grossman then grounded out to first to end the inning.

Peavy got another quick start to the third, retiring Enrique Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez on seven pitches, but Altuve then doubled to right before Castro unleashed a shot to right that just evaded the glove of Mookie Betts and landed in the seats for a two-run homer. Springer then popped out to second for the third out, but the damage was done and the Astros had a 2-0 lead after three.

After David Ortiz got one run back in the top of the fourth with a solo homer, Peavy picked up his fifth strikeout as he K’ed Singleton for the second time in the game. Carter then bounced out to third and Dominguez grounded out to first for Peavy’s second 1-2-3 frame of the day.

Grossman led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to right and reached second on an error by Betts, then moved up to third on a fly out by Hernandez. Peavy came back and struck out Gonzalez and got out of the inning as Altuve grounded out to short.

In the bottom of the sixth, Castro smacked a leadoff triple to right field, but had to stay put 90 feet from home as Springer grounded out to short and Singleton and Carter struck out, Peavy’s seventh and eighth K’s of the game.

Peavy continued to dominate in the seventh, as he struck out Dominguez to start the frame to set a new season-high with nine K’s. He issued his first walk of the day to Grossman, then stopped a chopper by Hernandez and threw to first for the second out. The third out was one Peavy and Mike Napoli will add to their highlight reels, as Napoli snared a Gonzalez hot shot down the line, then flipped to Peavy, who dove to first to keep it a 2-2 game.

Despite sitting at 102 pitches, John Farrell sent Peavy back out for the eighth, and Altuve doubled off him on the first pitch he threw, prompting Farrell to finally yank his starter in favor of Andrew Miller. Altuve later scored the go-ahead run with two outs in the frame, closing the book on Peavy's day and perhaps his Red Sox career.

Peavy said after the game that he hadn’t heard anything about his status, but his name has come up repeatedly in trade rumors over the past week, with many believing that following the All-Star break, the righthander could be wearing a different uniform.